We Will Miss Those Cousins!

 One of the things we counted as a benefit of moving to Texas, was that we would be closer to these little girls.  Our girls love Faith and Audrey, and we have been blessed to spend a little bit of time with them since we got here.  They moved to Utah yesterday, and we went up to say goodbye and help load the truck.  Our kids loved having one last opportunity to play together.  We will think of you often and miss you a lot!

Finally! Sweet Relief

I think fall has arrived in Austin.  I woke up to 59 degrees, and we were able to sleep with the windows open!  The forecast still says sun with highs in the 80's, but the nights are cooling to 60 degrees! 

Let the outdoor homeschool adventures begin:  nature hikes, bike rides and trips to the park in the daytime.

I hope I never become a "real" Texan who thinks that 60 degrees is cold and requires a coat.

Today I Channeled My Aunt Janene

My aunt has fabulous taste and is very classy.  Every season she would buy a HUGE wreath to go on my grandmother's front door.  Today in Hobby Lobby I found this baby, and it made me think of her.  I had to buy it!  Luckily, it was on sale at 50% off.  Hey, style at a discount!

Check this thing out!  It has turkey feathers and sparkly pumpkins!  Seriously, this wreath is so fabulous, I might be tempted to leave it up all year.

Who Knew That Cream of Wheat Would Be Traumatizing?

I decided to change our breakfast routine a little and avoid cold cereal for a whole week.  Which means more work for me, but hopefully less expensive and more filling breakfasts for everyone else.  Yesterday everyone had oatmeal (except John, who would gag.)  This morning, I decided to try Cream of Wheat, which I remember from my childhood, but I don't think the kids have ever had.  (And I bought the whole grain kind, too, so it's brownish.)  This was Seth's response to something new:

He was climbing all over me, complaining that he never gets to eat what he wants, and why can't he eat Cheerios for breakfast?  When I got out the camera, he went on the run, and hid from me. 

Finally, I got him to try it, and he ate it all up.  Must have been the sugar I put in.  It probably nullifies the other health benefits, but at least they ate it.

A Letter to My Cousins Kimberly and Josh

Dear San Antonio Cousins,

We were so sad that you couldn't come this weekend to visit.  We had planned some fun things, and we were looking forward to seeing you.  Here's a little snippet of what you missed:

Texas-shaped waffles...

...with strawberries and whipped cream.

And I'm sure there was other stuff, but it was overcast, so the boat stayed in the garage.  We just did a Costco trip and some yard work.  But you did miss this...

and this...

and this...

Hopefully Caleb is feeling better, and we are really looking forward to your next visit.

Love,
Tamara

Late Summer Evening Swimming

Since we spent the whole day inside (John working and me writing a talk), I decided to run the kids down to the neighborhood pool for a quick swim after dinner.  Since our neighborhood is fairly small, we usually have the pool mostly to ourselves.  I took along the camera for a little photography practice. 

Photography Practice

I met a woman in my new ward who is doing photography as a little side business.  She also posts on a couple of blogs about photography technique, which can be found here and here.  She came to my house one day and helped me to understand a little bit more about what my camera can do, and how to take it off the "auto" setting and still get some great pictures.  While I don't have the artistic eye for photography, I am trying to learn more about "natural light" photography and how to get the most out of my awesome equipment. 

On Labor Day, we took our bikes to a great trail/park system called Brushy Creek, a couple of miles from our house.  Here are a few of the pictures we took of the kids and some Texas scenery, which I am really starting to like.

Outside and Inside Our Home Today

This is outside our home today.

You probably can't really tell, but we have hurricane-type rain today from Hurricane Hermine, which hit south Texas this morning.  It's been raining all day, and we're supposed to get up to 4 inches in 24 hours. 

After playing outside in the rain, the kids came in soaking wet, looking for Christmas pajamas, bathrobes, and hot chocolate.  I nixed the hot cocoa--it's 75 degrees outside!

They settled in with Christmas stories for a while, and then we finished up their school day.

This is how our homeschool looks much of the time.  I teach a little and then allow them to work on their own to finish up their worksheets or assignments or projects.

Life is so good right now!